The success of Starbucks can be attributed to several elements of the organizational culture. In particular, the senior executives of this company lay stress on the need for empowering employees who are also called partners. These people are encouraged to take initiatives to meet the main requirements of clients. In order to achieve this goal, senior executives take several important steps. For example, they pay attention to the continuous development of their skills. In this way, these people learn how to interact with clients who may have diverse needs or values. Furthermore, teamwork is one of the core values for each employee of this corporation (Flamholtz & Rande, 2011, p. 61). This cooperation is critical for providing efficient services to customers. Apart from that, one should mention that emphasis on quality is another critical component of their organizational culture. This is why the management pays attention to the training of baristas (Robbins & Judge, 2012, p. 610).
In contrast, “assembly-line production” of coffee was discouraged by the management since this approach diminishes the value of staying within the coffeehouse (Robbins & Judge, 2012, p. 610). The main task of the employees is to make sure that every client can feel as a “valued guest” (Robbins & Judge, 2012, p. 610). Overall, the management plays an active role in creating this culture. For example, they actively monitor the performance of different coffeehouses. In this way, they make sure that workers can meet the highest quality standards. Additionally, they pay attention to the needs of customers whose opinions can be reflected in the design of coffeehouses. Much attention should be paid to the role of Howard Schultz who stressed the need for raising the quality of services and improving the experiences of visitors. These are some of the main details that should be distinguished.
Additionally, the management of the company has been able to consider the diverse needs of clients by implementing new technologies. This is why the corporation provides wireless Internet connection to customers. To a great extent, this policy has enabled clients to feel more comfortable at the coffeehouses operated by this company (Davila, Epstein, & Shelton, 2007, p. 146). Certainly, Starbucks is not the only company that offers such services. At present, this policy is adopted by many businesses representing the hospitality and fast-food industry. For instance, one can speak about such corporations as Costa Coffee or McDonalds. So, this strategy cannot significantly increase the popularity of this company. Nevertheless, this policy is important for strengthening the loyalty of clients who may have certain information needs. For example, these people may want to learn about the latest news (Davila et al. 2007). In some cases, the use of information technologies can be related to their professional activities or entertainment.
Overall, these innovations are based on the premise that the lifestyles of people can change dramatically. At present, they need to use different information technologies and get access to different media. This is one of the details that should be taken into consideration since this opportunity is critical for people who may represent different cultures and ethnicities. Apart from that, this corporation offers debt cards to clients so that they could offer pay for coffee in advance. These offering can be of great value to people who have to meet a very tight schedule. Overall, innovation is the necessary pre-requisite for remaining competitive. To a great extent, this policy has been successful because this corporation has been able to remain the largest coffeehouse chain in the worlds. These are the main details that should be distinguished since they are important for understanding the long-term competiveness of this business.
A successful manager at Starbucks should be able to develop vision that can inspire workers and appeal to clients. In this context, the word vision can be described as the way in which the company will operate in the future. Vision should also include the core competencies of the organization. At present, the company has to cope with different challenges which can be related to external environment. At first, this organization needs to preserve the core values of this business and its reputation. However, at the same time, this corporation has to focus on innovation and efficiency in order to remain competitive. For instance, other businesses may decide to lower the prices for their services, and Starbucks should be ready for this difficulty. Therefore, managers should understand how to reconcile the need for quality and efficiency.
It should be mentioned that this person may represent different levels of the workforce hierarchy. For example, he/she can operate a local coffeehouse, but at the same time, this individual can be one of the senior executives in this corporation. In order to formulate the vision, this person should actively interact with employees as well as clients. He/she should understand their needs and expectations. This competency is vital for the sustainability of Starbucks because this corporation has to combine innovation and tradition. Therefore, the managers of Starbucks should be able to learn as visionary leaders. To a great extent, this manager should consider the work of Howard Shultz who was able to improve the performance of this company at the time this corporation had to struggle with significant difficulties (Davila et al., 2007). These are the main details that should be singled out.
There are many concerns about the performance of Starbucks at the time, when Howard Shultz leaves. It should be mentioned that the successful performance of this company has been attributed to his managerial decisions. To some degree, he was able to revive this corporation in 2006 when its financial and organizational performance was stagnant (Robbins & Judge, 2012, p. 610). Nevertheless, it seems that the company has the system of checks and balances which can safeguard the company from possible pitfalls. At first, the principles imbedded in the culture of this corporation enable the management to improve the quality of services. Starbucks is a customer-driven company and it is usually more responsive to the changing needs of clients (Robbins & Judge, 2012,). This is one of the details that should be considered.
Additionally, one should keep in mind that modern corporations try to make sure that their performance is not completely dependent on the decisions of a single person. Furthermore, these organizations are able to recruit skillful and experienced executives who can adequately understand the needs of the company. Thus, one should not suppose that this corporation will lose its market share. However, this person, who will assume the position of the CEO, should be able to act as a visionary leader who can describe the future image of the company. Certainly, the achievements of Howard Shultz cannot be disregarded, but one should not suppose that the outcomes are dependent only on his decisions.
Reference List
Davila, T., Epstein, M., & Shelton, R. (2007). The Creative Enterprise: Culture. New York, NY: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Flamholtz, E., & Rande, Y. (2011). Corporate Culture: The Ultimate Strategic Asset. San Diego, Cal: Stanford University Press.
Robbins, S., & Judge, T. (2012). Organizational Behavior. New York, NY: Prentice Hall.